Weekly Update - 3rd November

Hello Rovers Community,

Mixed results across the weekend once again, but plenty of highlights to celebrate! A huge congratulations to Archie on reaching his century playing for CFN an outstanding achievement.

Coming up, we have a Coaching Clinic on Saturday 9 November, followed by the Annual T20 Exhibition Match at Griffiths Park from 2 pm. Be sure to register your kids for the clinic and then stay on to enjoy an entertaining afternoon of cricket.

On a sadder note, we pause to acknowledge the tragic passing of a young cricketer last week. Our teams honoured his memory on Saturday by placing bats out as a sign of respect. This is also a timely reminder about the importance of net safety protocols. Thank you to Dolf for preparing a letter to help guide these discussions please take the time to read it with your children, and our coaches will continue reinforcing these messages at training.

Enjoy your week, stay safe, and we will see you around the club!

Rovers Coaches / Players / Parents,

As most of you would have seen on the news, or through social media, the incident where a 17-year-old cricketer from Melbourne has tragically lost his life after being hit by a cricket ball while practising in the nets.

Although we don’t know the circumstances to this heartbreaking incident, it is serves as an important reminder for us all to review how we run our net sessions and ensure we are doing everything reasonably practical to keep everyone safe.

The club can relate to this event as one of our junior players also got hit in the back of his head a few weeks ago and was lucky to only walk away with a concussion and some headaches for two days.

To help reduce risks during training, we ask all coaches, parents, and players to please follow these safety measures:

Bowlers must not bowl while another is still exiting the nets. Wait until they are a safe distance away.
Spin bowlers tend to stand close to the stumps and in a little group, therefore exposing them more to the risk of getting hit. We ask that they also stand back in a safe distance and only go to their mark when it is their turn to bowl.
Pace and Spin bowlers not to use the nets directly next to each other but rather the nets on each end where possible.
If you are not ready to bowl, stand well back from the nets.
Batters are encouraged to play with intent, but please remember that going in with the goal to “slog everything” does not help improve technique and can increase risk to others.
All players must wear full protective gear when batting in the nets. Coaches and parents please step in if you see anyone without appropriate protection, especially before formal training begins.
Standing in groups and chatting during training can lead to distractions. Everyone must stay alert and aware always keep your eyes on the ball.

These points are not an exhaustive list, but they are a good starting point for building safer habits during training. Cricket is a fantastic game, but safety must always come first. Always be aware of your surroundings, practice safe habits, and look out for each other at training. Together, we can make sure our nets are a safe space for everyone.

PLAYERS ACHIEVEMENTS

A massive congratulations to Archie Ferguson! 123 not out to help CFN 2nd XII to chase down 276 to win! Well done Archie and a huge individual performance!

Photo taken from CFN Facebook Page.

ALL GRADE RESULTS

TWOMEY SCHRIBER PROPERTY GROUP 1ST GRADE

No Game.

RED BERET 2ND GRADE

Mulgrave won by 39 runs.

FGF DEVELOPMENTS 3RD GRADE V BHUTANESE ROVERS 3RD GRADE

Rovers 93 v Mareeba 1/97. Sometimes you just have to call it as you see it – the trendy (?) 3s were outclassed on Saturday afternoon against a stacked Mareeba team. A toss win in the heat from skipper Dayne was handy but he played a lone hand (46) as others around him gave up soft dismissals to let our opposition into the box seat. When it was out turn to bowl, debutant Thomas Boyd grabbed his first senior wicket in a rare moment of elation for the mighty green. As the WORLD’S greatest coach. Sorry world’s greatest human, Chris Fagan would say, you learn more from your losses than your wins, there is always next week for the terrific 3s!!!!

3RD GRADE BHUTANESE ROVERS 3RD GRADE

Barron River won by 86 runs.

HALPIN PARTNERS COLTS (CPL)

Halpin Partners Rovers CPL Colts (8-117) beat Mulgrave (116)

We lost the toss and were sent out to field on a scorching, humid afternoon at EP 1.

Our bowlers managed to pin down the Mulgrave batters keeping them to a run rate of 1.2 an over at the 20 over break. Mulgrave managed to fight back to lift their run rate to 2.9 posting a defendable 116 after 40 overs. Our wicket takers were Blake Watson 3/19, Tadhg Mcdavitt 2/11 and Brodie North 2/22, but all bowled tightly.

Our batters took a controlled approach to chasing down the target, with opener Cody Peters managing 44 off 81 and Lucas Brierley 24 off 41, laying a solid foundation. Then a steady stream of wickets falling saw us needing 11 runs to win off 10 overs with two wickets in hand. Blake Watson and Xavier Curtin steadied the ship and steered us to a closer-than-expected victory in the 34th over.

An afternoon of exciting cricket leaving us looking forward to meeting Mulgrave again soon.

A good performance all round but plenty of catching practice needed over the next weeks.

A big thank you to our coaches, umpires, and scorers (you know you are) and to Bernard Wheeler for holding things together after copping a ball in the face at square leg umpire, then putting on a great afternoon tea.

Awards went to Tadhg Mcdavitt, Brodie North, and Cody Peters.

TIER 3 U18 SUPER GLOBAL SERVICES ROVERS

Super Global Services Rovers 4/149 defeated Mareeba all out for 69

This week, the Super Global Services Rovers put together their most complete performance of the season – the kind of match that makes you wonder if someone secretly replaced our Gatorade with rocket fuel.

Captain Matthew “Mungus” won the toss and decided to bat first, clearly confident that the boys had more runs in them than a marathon. After a shaky start, Thomas and Luca settled things down with a classy 44-run stand. They looked so solid that even the pitch stopped misbehaving for a while. Just as Luca looked ready to launch into T20 mode, he was bowled for 16, probably distracted by thoughts of what snacks were waiting in the esky.

Enter Hugh and Thomas – Cricket’s version of Batman and Robin (if Batman wore zinc and sunscreen). The pair were unflappable, putting on a sensational 103-run partnership. Hugh was in sublime form, smacking 56 off 72 balls with five boundaries and a six that could probably be seen from Port Douglas. Thomas wasn’t far behind, falling just short of his half-century with a composed 46 that had “class act” written all over it.

Then came Mareeba’s turn to bat, and from the first over, they looked about as comfortable as a cat in a bathtub. Bikram kicked things off with a run-out so quick it might’ve broken the sound barrier. The rest of the attack joined the party with ruthless precision – Hugh (1/8), Evan (2/3), Mungus (2/10), Bikram (2/4), and Luca (1/9) all chipped in. The fielders were electric, the bowlers were relentless, and Mareeba’s scorecard looked like a phone number missing digits.

Their final pair tried to delay celebrations, but the result was already sealed tighter than the team lolly jar before training. Only two of their batters managed to reach more than two runs – a testament to just how dominant our bowling was.

An all-round brilliant team effort – confident, composed, and just the right amount of chaos.
Player Awards:
Bikram – Lightning run-out, deadly bowling, and still had energy left to smile.
Hughie – Fifty, a wicket, and a six that deserves its own postcode.
Thomas – Rock-solid 46 and partnership-building masterclass.
A near-perfect day for the Rovers. The champagne stayed cold, the captain stayed calm, and the scoreboard looked beaut.

TIER 3 U18 FNQ NATURE TOURS ROVERS

Round four had us heading up the hill to a picturesque Atherton. Captain Caleb was coming off a 3 toss winning streak and with the pitch resembling a goat track we all had our fingers crossed that our fortunes might continue. It wasn’t to be and the hosts sent us in to bat on an absolute minefield.

Despite wickets falling in regular intervals, Pranil was able to counter punch and scored an impressive 28 off 68 and together the green machine was able to post a very competitive 101. A score the lads would have taken at the start of the day.

Despite some tight bowling, drop catches were the order of the first hour in the field and with four of them going down, we were our own worst enemy.

Straight after the drinks break we took our first catch and a flurry of wickets came afterwards with Atherton loosing 3/1 giving the visitors a glimpse of hope.

Atherton though, dashed any ideas we had of rescuing the match and despite a one handed screamer from Jett, the damage had been done and Atherton came away with a comprehensive victory.

Player of the match awards went to Jett for “that catch”, Caleb 2/15 and a catch, and Pranil 28 (68).

TIER 2 U 13 ZARRAFFAS ROVERS
Tier 2 Zarraffa’s Rovers (77) defeated by Norths Gold 7/208.

After big scores in recent weeks, the boys came up against a disciplined Norths bowling lineup. Winning the toss and batting, Alex M played a patient opening knock (17) and Liam with 16 not out, put up the main resistance to the Norths bowling lineup.

In return, the boys toiled hard in the field but didn’t have enough ‘scoreboard’ pressure and Norths ran out easy winners. Toby (2/11 of 3) and Alex M (2/4 of 2) led the way with the ball. Awards went to Alex and Liam.

TIER 2 U 13 WGC ROVERS
Tier 2 WGC Rovers 7/215 v Mulgrave 90.

Good win for the boys today albeit against an understrength Mulgrave team. Bowling first Finn picked up a wicket in the first over to have Mulgrave under pressure straight up. Riley was unplayable picking up 2/4 from his 3 overs. Finn 2/14, Zac 1/6, Ben 0/6 and Ashton 0/4 all from their 3 overs ensured Mulgrave were restricted to a low total.

Our batting innings once again consisted of Aadit aka “the little master” getting us off to a great start with 28 from 22 balls. Ashton aka “Maxxie” again joined the fray/flay bludgeoning the bowlers for a superb 41 from 21 balls. Finn aka “Iceman” once again proved calm under pressure to score another fifty from the final ball of the innings, finishing with 50 not out from 33 balls. Riley chipped in with a classy 21 with many a “Smudge”like whips of the legs. Isaac 12 and Benny 15 not out were instrumental in us reaching a big total.

Players of the match went to debutante Benny and also Finn, Ashton and Riley. Big shout out to the boys for also providing a fielder for the opposition in a great show of sportsmanship.

TIER 1 U11 AGL PAINTING ROVERS GREEN

AGL Rovers 155 def Barron River 130.
Great effort again from the boys this week. Plenty of wickets shared around again, with Oli continuing to be the strike bowler. Batting was superb again, with Roly top scoring and Henry giving the opponents some leather to chase in the dying overs.

Award winners were Roly for his outstanding leadership over the last 4 weeks and Reuben for his classy innings getting us back on track.

TIER 1 U11 ROVERS ARCHERS BODY CORPORATE

T1 Rovers ABC Gold 111 defeated Barron Yellow 75.

Barron won the toss and sent us in to bat on a lush outfield making runs hard to come by. Opening batters Bradley and Cooper H got us off to a solid start finding some boundary’s via the aerial route. Middle order was solid, protecting their wickets and running hard to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Oscar, Ben and Cooper L brought us home to a strong finish.

Our turn in the field with an all round solid team effort inclusive of 4 run outs in the first 5 overs. Oscar, Kitty, Aaron and Johno standouts in the field with strong wicket keeping from Ben and Cooper L. Although everyone bowled terrific Bradley, Brianna and Oscar were the standout performers.

An all round team effort with comments from the other side on how disciplined we were. If only they knew Awards went to Cooper H and Bradley.

TIER 1 U11 CNW ELECTRICAL ROVERS

Rovers Renegades 117 v Barron red 177.

For the second week in a row we headed to a furnace at Smithfield high school to take on a Barron team. We lost the toss under the watchful eye of captain T and we were asked to bowl. That was no problem for action Jackson who disturbed the stumps on the first ball of the game. Ollie added a neat run out and then Hudson put on a catching clinic snaring 2 great outfield catches in 2 overs.

When it was our time to bat, it is probably fair to say that the disciplined bowling from Barron got to the better of us and despite 16 from Jacob and 13 from Damondeep we couldn’t quite chase down the imposing total we had been set. Another great Saturday of cricket as our young team continues to develop!!

WHATS ON

ROVERS CRICKET CLUB COMMITTEE

President – John Margiotta
Vice President – Simon North
Treasurer – Noelle Halpin
Secretary – Mark Malone
Junior Representative – Sim North
Players Representative – Chris Davies and Aaron lock

To stay up to date with all the latest news, match reports, and events from the Cairns Rovers Cricket Club, be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter. We encourage you to engage with us, share your thoughts, and join us in supporting our talented players as they strive for success on the field. Please contact us at committee@roverscc.com.au.